अथ षोडशमाह्निकम् । अथ परोक्षस्य दीक्षा, द्विविधश्च सः-मृतो जीवंश्च । तत्र कृतगुरुसेव एव मृत उद्वासितो व अभिचारादिहतो डिम्बाहतो मृत्युक्षणोदिततथारुचिः मुखान्तरायातशक्तिपातो वा तथा दीक्ष्य इत्याज्ञा । अत्र च मृतदीक्षायाम् अधिवासादि न उपयुज्यते । मण्डले मन्त्र विशेषसंनिधये यत्र बहुला क्रिया, उत्तममुपकरणं पुष्पादि, स्थानं पीङ्गादि, मण्डलं त्रिशूलाब्जादि, आकृतिः ध्येयविशेषः, मन्त्रः स्वयं दीप्तश्च, ध्यानपरस्य योगिनः तदेकभक्तिसमावेशशालिना ज्ञानिनश्च संबन्धः, इत्येते संनिधानहेतवो यथोत्तरम् उक्ताः | समुदितत्वे तु का कथा स्यात् - इति परमेश्वरेण उक्ता । ततो देवं. : पूजयित्वा तदाकृति कुशादिमयीम् अग्रे स्थापयित्वा गुर्वासादितज्ञानोपदेशक्रम ‘ण तां पश्येत्, स च
मूलाधारादुदेत्य प्रसृतसुविततानन्तनाड्यध्वदण्डं .: वीर्येणाक्रम्य नासागगनपरिगतं विक्षिपन्व्याप्तुमीष्टे । यावद्धमाभिरामप्रतितरशिखाजालकेनाध्वचक्रं ___संच्छाद्याभीष्टजीवानयनमिति महाजालनामा प्रयोगः ।। एतेनाच्छादनीयं व्रजति परवशं संमुखीनत्वमादौ
पश्चादानीयते चेत्सकलमथ ततोऽप्यध्वमध्यापद्यथेष्टम् । आकृष्टावुद्धृतौ वा मृतजनविषये कर्षणीयेऽथ जीवे
योगः श्रीशंभुनाथागमपरिगमितो जालनामा मयोक्तः ||
Chapter Sixteen In this chapter the initiation of one who is not present will be described. This type of initiation is twofold, i.e., for the person who is dead, and for one who is still alive (but not present). If a person who offered service to the teacher but died before initia tion, or was sent into exile, or was killed by black magic (incan tation), -etc., or by accident, he should be given initiation if he becomes intent on receiving it at the time of death, or if a teacher finds out from others that the descent of grace has occurred in him.217 This is the command of the Lord.
176 TANTRASĀRA
During the performance of initiation for one who is dead, there is no need for consecration, etc. In the sacred diagram for the proximity of a particular mantra, detailed ritualistic activities are needed: exquisite materials, like flowers, and so on; a place as the sacred seat, and so on; the mandala, the sacred diagram, like a trident with a lotus, and so on; a figure (ākrti) as the spe cific form to be meditated upon; the mantra itself as self-effulgent. These [ritualistic activities and materials) are for the meditative yogins and jñānis who are immersed in meditation, who possess right knowledge, and who are devoted to the Divine. They are the causes for the proximity of the mantra according to their order of.. priority and posteriority. What morę can we say about those who have attained the perfect nature of the Lord?
After worshipping the Lord, the teacher places a figure made of kusa grass, etc., and should look at it following the method received from his teacher. That is:
When the energy has risen from the mūlādhāra cakra upward, a shaft (danda) from which innumerable sys tem of channels (nãạis) come and spread out, the yogin, by his power, should bring the shaft under control, which should be thought to have gone to the void of the nose, and then thrown outside in order to cause it to pervade the entire world. Then, it should be thrown to the extent that, from the abode of fire, plenty of smoky flames may emerge and cover the entire path with its net. This is the application of the great net218 to drag the desired soul near.
By the application of this great net, the host of paths which are to be covered come under control and are placed before first and then are brought near later. If all are brought before, even then only the intended one is rescued or drawn before. This application, named net for rescuing and drawing of dead souls, I learned from Śrī śambhunātha.
TANTRASĀRA 177
बहिरपि इत्थं कथं न भवति, आकर्षणादौ विनाभ्यासात् ? इति चेत् - रागद्वेषादियोगवशेन तत्प्रवृत्तौ ऐश्वर्यावेशायोगात् । ततो नियतिनियन्त्रितत्वात् अभ्यासाद्यपेक्षा स्यादेव । इह तु अनुग्रहात्मकपरमेश्वरतावेशात् तथाभावः | परमेश्वर एव हि गुरुशरीराधिष्ठानद्वारेण अनुग्राह्यान् अनुगृह्णाति । स च अचिन्त्यमहिमा इति उक्तप्रायम् । एवं जालप्रयोगाकृष्टो जीवा दाk जातीफलादि वा शरीरं समाविष्टो भवति, न च स्पन्दते-मनःप्राणादिसा मग्र्यभावात्, तदनुध्यानबलात् तु स्पन्दतेऽपि तादृशेऽपि तस्मिन् पूर्ववत् प्रोक्षणादिसंस्कारः पूर्णाहुतियोजनिकान्तः। अत्र परं पूर्णाहुत्या तस्य दार्भाधाकारस्य परतेजसि लयः कर्तव्यः । एवम् उद्धृतेऽसौ पूर्णाहुत्यैव : अपवृज्यते - यदि स्वर्नरकप्रेततिर्यक्षु स्थितः । मनुष्यस्तु तदैवं ज्ञानं योगं दीक्षां विवेकं वा लभते - अधिकारिशरीरत्वात्, इति मृतोद्धरणम् । जीवतोऽपि परोक्षस्य उत्पन्ने शक्तिपातेऽयमेव क्रमः, दार्भाकृतिकल्पनजीवाकृष्टिवर्जम् | ध्यानमात्रोपस्थापितस्येव अस्य संस्कारः। दीक्षा च भोगमोक्षोभयदायिनी : स्ववासनाबलीयस्त्वात्, भोगवासनाविच्छेदस्य च असंभाव्यमानत्वात् बहुभिः, दीक्षायाम् ऊर्ध्वशासनसंस्कारो बलवान् अन्यस्तु तत्संकाराय स्यात् । परोक्षस्यापि दीक्षितस्य तथैव ज्ञानाद्याविर्भावः इति ।
परमेश्वरतावेशदादात्स्वातन्त्र्यभाग्गुरुः |
परोक्षमभिसंधाय दीक्षितेति किमद्भुतम् ।। इति श्रीमदभिनवगुप्ताचार्यविरचिते तन्त्रसारे परोक्षदीक्षाप्रकाशनं नाम षोडशमाह्निकम् ।।
If this is so, why does it not happen so externally? Is the answer then that without proper practice in dragging it cannot be fruitful? No; when one becomes engaged in such activity, if the teacher is possessed by love and hatred, he could lose his absorp tion of lordship internally. Therefore, in that case, the teacher remains conditioned by the restrictive power of niyati, so practice is unavoidable. But here, in the teacher, on account of the presence of the absorption of [in] the Lord, which is the characteristic of grace, he becomes free. The Lord himself, by taking recourse to
178 TANTRASĀRA
the body of the teacher as his substratum, bestows grace on those who are to be blessed with grace. It is true to say that grace has unthinkably glorious capacity.
Thus the soul, which is drawn by the application of the net, enters the figure made of kusa grass or the fruit of a jāti (Jas minum grandiflorum). However, it does not move because of the absence of the mind and the vital energy, or the totality of causes, but by the force of deep contemplation-it does indeed move. Though it is of such a nature, the purificatory rite of consecration, and so on, is to be performed, which terminates in the final obla tion and unification with the desired end. Then, by means of the final oblation, the figure made of kusa grass and other materials should be dissolved in the highest light of the Lord. Thus rescued, the soul, by the final oblation, attains liberation, whether it was in hell, the world of the spirit, or in the world of lower animals. But if the soul is living as a man, then he obtains at that moment knowledge, yoga, initiation, or discernment, because the body of the teacher is a competent authority regarding this. This is the procedure for rescuing the dead.
This is the method for a person who is alive but absent when the descent of grace occurs. Only the figure made of kusa grass and attraction are excluded. In this regard, the appearance of his thorough contemplation is sufficient for his purification.
Initiation, again, is the bestower of both enjoyment and lib eration, because latent traces of the impression of past deeds are strong and because it is impossible to root out all these desires. In initiation, the consecration performed according to the procedure of the higher doctrine is stronger, but that of the other inferior doctrines requires further consecration for the purpose of puri fication. Even the person who is initiated in absentia experiences manifestation of knowledge, and so on.
What a wonder that the teacher, by his steady absorp tion in the Great Lord, becomes the sharer of the free dom of will. Even viewing the person, though absent, he becomes the initiator.
TANTRASĀRA 179